Body Of Latest Lake Travis Drowning Victim Identified

AUSTIN, TX — Travis County Sheriff's Office officials on Wednesday has identified the drowning victim whose body was found floating on Lake Travis the previous day.

The body pulled from the lake yesterday is that of Ricardo Sierra Martinez, 27, of Mexico.

"The cause and manner of death is pending the final report from the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office," officials said in a press advisory. "TCSO’s investigation thus far points to drowning."

Friends of Martinez reported him missing on Sunday after having seen him resting on a sandbar before resuming swimming. He had swum out to a small island on Lake Travis adjacent to Bob Wentz Park. After seeing him relaxing on land, friends told police they didn't see him some 30 to 45 minutes later.

By Tuesday, a body was pulled from Lake Travis after being spotted floating on the surface. Prior to that, various emergency agencies conducted a robust search for the man that included the use of sonar equipment and us of a fixed-wing aircraft.

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This is the latest in a growing list of drownings at Lake Travis in recent weeks, including two victims whose bodies have have yet to be recovered from the lake's deceptive depths. Manuel Salas, 53 of Elgin was reported missing on May 5 in an area of Lake Travis near Mansfield Dam Park, while Rachel Kathleen Scott, 25 of Round Rock was reported missing between Starnes Island and Volente Beach on May 19.. Both are still missing.

Diego Humberto Cerda-Acosta, 30, of Austin was reported missing in the water near Bob Wentz Park on May 27, 2018. His body was recovered the morning of May 28, 2018.

"TCSO implores swimmers and boaters on Lake Travis to wear their life jackets," sheriff's officials advised in a press release after Martinez's body was pulled from the lake on Tuesday. "When seconds count in the unpredictable depths of the lake, life jackets save lives."

The expansive lake in a picturesque park setting is a popular draw for recreation among natives and tourists alike, particularly on weekends and holidays when aquatics lovers flock to the place. But the waters at the man-made reservoir are deceptive, even for the most experienced swimmers.

In a recent interview with Patch, Roseann Salas recalled the astonishment of her husband as he tried dropping anchor in an area he thought had shallower depths. Unbeknownst to him, the 75-foot line attached to his anchor was too short to hit bottom in an area of the lake 140 feet deep where he ended up drowning on May 5 after going into the water. His body has yet to be recovered.

The drowning victim, Manuel Salas, drowned despite having been familiar with the lake after several previous outings, his wife told Patch. Other victims from beyond the area — like the latest drowning victim from Mexico — have been at an even greater disadvantage given a complete lack of familiarity with the deceptively treacherous, and deep, waters:

• On Jan. 19, 2017, Cody Quincy May, 31, of West Haven, Conn., drowned after trying to join his children on a raft, according to Travis County Sheriff's Office officials. Witnesses told police several of May's children were playing on a raft near the shoreline when May began walking out to the raft and suddenly stepped into deep water. He immediately began to struggle while calling for help. A nearby fisherman tried to go to his aid, but arrived too late to save him. May had moved his family to Austin just a week before his death.

• In June 2017, Travis County Sheriff's Office officials identified Brian Robinson, 31, of White Plains, N.Y., as the victim of a June 11 drowning. Like Olman, Robinson had been on a party barge before falling into the water. Just the day before, Lower Colorado River Authority officials had re-opened Lake Travis after shutting down access on June 6 due to altered flood-related conditions that made it too dangerous for recreational use. Water levels by then began receding after earlier heavy downpours, and stood at a level of just over 690 feet, officials said at the time.

Despite its expansive 19-acre surface area and depths reaching 210 feet, the man-made reservoir built specifically to contain floodwaters in a region prone to flash floods is patrolled by less than a handful of patrol boats. On typical weekends, only two patrol boats are dispatched to monitor the area — increased to three on holidays — a sheriff's spokesperson told Patch in response to question following Salas' death.

Still waiting for his body to be recovered more than a month after her husband went underwater, never to resurface, his presumed widow said it took 30 minutes for rescuers to arrive after her initial frantic call. The Travis County Sheriff's Office spokesperson subsequently confirmed the time frame.

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